Differential gearing.



" ELI MAYNARn LONG. or GENEVA, NEW YORK.

DIFFERENTIAL GEARING.

Applicatoneled/Apil 24.

ie it known `that ll. llCL-irMxi'xxiin Loxo.y citiZen-.oliithe `l'nited "tzit.es, aiu l rcsidei'it, ol' tcncva. in tlic county ot- Ontario and Siate ol.\`cw York. have invented certain new and nsel'ul lnipijovcments in Dill'eren; tial Hearing. oie which thctollowingis a spiciliration. e i. .f

'this invention relates to dilfei'ential gea'rw in e such' as is employed in selt-propelledl vehicles to permit either ot' a pair ot' driving-wheels to rotate faster than the other 'when the vehicle is moving'in a curved' path. l

'lhe-principal olject ot the invention is to produce a-ditl'erential gearing which will normally perform its function in the usual manner. lint which will not he subject to the disadvantage. characteristic ot' the or- ,dinariY forum-ot dillerential gearing, that in case olI the slippage of one of the driving-wheels. owing to loss ot tractive friction, the trac-tive friction of the other wheel is unavailable `for the propulsion of the vehicle. y

Numerous attempts have heen inadeto accomplish the result setktrortli, hutfthese have', in general, been characterized either hv a certain loss in the cliiciency Iwith ywhich the, diii'crential gearing normally operates, or hv a inode ot operation suclrtliat the vehicle. when traveling' in a curve, is propelled h v the inner driving-wheel alone. in the gearing ol the present invention, however. hoih ol these disadvantages are avoided h v a construction such that normally,l and lor e' amount ot' diiferential action within the yangie iiorinaltvv requisite, the action ol' the rearing is. or may he, in every respect that' ot' the ordinary dill'cren'tial, gearing.y whereas in the case olf-la lossoi' traction on one ol the wheels sullicient to worse it toslip, thc excessive dill'eicntialy z `ovenient o'l' the wheels which would otherw ise occur under these circumstances is prevented automatically, so that the other driving-wliecl iiiav always he used for propelling f vehicle with an etlcctivencss limitedy only hr its own ti':ictiveforce. `These revsoils are accomplished, -in lthe preferred' l'orm ol" the invention, hy adding' to a `(litterential tearing ofanv ,ordinary or suitaliloA lioi'iin means which are ineffective during the, normal operation of the gearing. but which act automatically to prevent either driving-wheel from rotating at a speed-iii- Specification of Letters Patent.

atclited Nov'.

1915.k semaine. 2er/fe.

fordinatclv great in comparison with that ot' the other, i'lriving-wheel, thus preventing l the tractive Itorce ot"4 the latter from beingv reduced to thai' which the' slipping wheel l, would have it' freely rotatable. J i,\nothe1' 'object of the invention is to profdnce a dittei'ential gearing which will, in .addition to performing the usual functions ot' such a fearing, prevent the vehicle in which itv is used `:t'roiny running baekwardly under the inlliience ot' gravity, except, when such niovcinentis desired by the operator. 'l`lie accoinplishinent of this object is involved in the operation of the mechanism hv which the first described object is accomplislied. v y

ln the acconipanying` drawings: Figure 1 is a horizontal axial sectional view of difl'erential `gearingi embodying the present invention: and Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional, view on the line 2--2 in Fig. l.

The ,invention is illustrated as embodied lconnected. h v lieveled planetary pinions 8.

with bevel-fears E) on the adjacent ends of Asolll the shafts or axles l() extending'to the driving-wheels ot' the vehicle, all as is Vusual in such constructions. The axles 10 are also shown as mounted in hearings 11 fixed 1n a gear-casing' 12. in the usual manner.

'lhegfear T is integral with a ring 14: which is clamped between the peripheries ol' two disks lyand lll. these three parts 1T and thus toi-ming a unitary rotary memher having' lie:ii'ings,'at the centers of the disks. upon rthe hubs ot' the gears 9. The

planetary pinions 8 are mounted on studs' 1S hxed in the ring l-l. e f

The means, inwhich the present invention partcularlvY `resides. t'oi' preventing either of 4ed on studs 1,3 projectingf troni the inner taceof'each ot the gears t); A gear-wheel Z1 is mounted upon the middle ofthe ratchetheineconnected tofdietlier b v through-bolts any faster than this sleeve.

sleeve 19, having an opening conforming to the teeth of the ratchet-sleeve to fix these partsagainst relative rotation. The gear Q1 meshes with two pinions each of which is looselymounted on a stud :23 fixed in inwardly projecting lugs on the ring l-l. Each pinion Q2 meshes witlr a pinion 2t formed integrally on the innelI end ot' a shaft 25. The shafts are journaled in the ring 1l, and project through openings in the disk 15, as shown in Fig. 1. 0n the outer end ot' each shafti a, pinion 2o is keyed. and these pinions mesh with a gear 2T which is journaled on the inner end of the bearing` 1l. The gear 2T is normally fixed againstrotation, and consequently. as the ring 1l rotates in the normal direction ot drive, rotation is imparted. through the pinion 2G and the shaft 25, to-the pinions Qt and 2?) and thence to the gear '21. and the ratios of the several gear pairs are such that the gear '21 is driven in the samei'lirection of rotation as the ring 14, but at a speed about 25 per cent. higher. t.

lith the parts in operation as just described, assuming that the driving-wheels are both rotated at the same speed, the ratchet-sleeve 1D will be constantly overrunning the pawls 20. lf now the vehicle moves in a curved path,v one ot' the driving-wheels will rotate faster than the other: even so, within the ordinary limits ot operation ot' thedilierential gearing. no modification in its action will occur, as the one of the gears whichis'rotated faster than the. other will not rotate as 'tast as the gear 21 and theI ratchet-sleeve 1S). lt', however, one ot the wheels, whether the vehicle be. moving straight ahead or on a curved path` should lose. traction sulliciently to slip, and thus Vtend to rotate much t'aster than the other wheel, the pawls Q() connected with the gear f) by which the slipping wheel is driven, will overtake the ratchet-sleeve and will act to prevent the gear in question t'rom rotating ()wing to this action the other driving-wheel may be driven with a force such as to take t'ull advantage-ot its tractive ell'ect. notwithstanding the slipping olt the lirst driving-wheel.

In ycase the vehicle be moving upwardly on a hill, and the driving-shaft 5 be disconnected t'rom the engine, as by the usual driving-elnich` it is necessar in the case ot an ordinary dill'erential gearing. to apply the brakes at once, or the vehicle. will run backwardly down hill under the influence ot gravity. lVith a gearingotl the present construction, however. this is impossible, for th'e eftectoi such backward movement in the 'axles 10, heilig communicated to the disks 15 and 1G and the ring l-t, tends to cause the. ratchet-sleeve 19 to be rotated hackwardly at a higher speed thanV that ot` the gears 9.

The pawls 20, however, prevent such rotaand the tion of the ratchet-sleeve, and thus the gear.

ing is locked against reverse movement.

lVhen it is desired to drive the vehicle backwardly theparts of the gearing peculiar to the present invention must be thrown out of operation, and for this purpose provision shown) for the purpose in question. It may l most conveniently be connected with the. lcver by which the reverse-gearing ot the vchicle is thrown into operation.

Vhile the means tor preventing an unduly high rotative speed ot' either of the driving-wheels are lpreferably in the form ot positive gear-connections as shown and described. the i'l'ivention is not limited to embodiment in this torni. rThe ratchetsleeve 19 and the pawls '20 constitute, in ett'ect, two overrunning clutches, and it will be apparent that overrunning clutches ot other well-known forms may be substituted therefor; and, in general, it will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the, em-' bodiment thereot'hereinbetore described and illust-rated in the accompanying drawings, but may be. embodied in various other forms within the nature of the invention as it is defined in the following claims.

l claim:-

1.` ln a differential gearing, the "combination, with the driving-gear, the driven gears,

differential them; ot" means rotatable coaxially with the driven gears; overrunning clutches connecting the driven gears with said rotatable means; and rctarding means for preventing tree rotation ol said rotatable means.

2. In a differential gearing, the combination, with the driving-gear, the. drivengears, and the differential connections between them; ot' means rotatable (',oaxially with the driven gears; overrunning clutches connecting the driven gears with said rotatable means; and retarding means tor limiting the. rotation of said4 rotatable means t0 a speed somewhat greater than that of the driving-gear.

3. ln a differential gearing, the combination, with the dri ving-gear, the. driven gears, and the, differential connections vbetween them; ot' means rotatable coaxially with the. driven gears; overrunnng clutches connecting the driven gears with said rotatable means; and gear-connections, between said rotatable means and theI driving-gear, arranged to permit a rotation of said means connections between somewhat faster than the rotation of the driving-gear.

l. In a differential gearing, the combination, with the driving-gear, the driven gears, and the alitt'erential connections between them, of means, operable onlyv in a forward direction of rotation, for preventv ingT free relative rotation ot the driven gears.

5. In a differential gearing', the combination, with the driving-gear. the driven gears, and the differential connections between them, of means rotatable coaxiall'v with the driven gears; overrnnningf clutches connecting the driven gears with said rotatable means; gear-connections, between said rotatable means and the dri\'ing:-gear, arranged to limit said means to a rotation somewhat faster than the rotation ot' the driving-gear: and means for renderingrsaid geaconnections inoperative at will.

(3. In a differential gearing, the combination, with the dri ving-gear, the driven glare', and the ditl'erential connections between them, of means for positively limiting each driven gear to a speed of rotation somewhat greater than that of thel driving-gear.

7. In a differential gearing, the combination, with the driving-gear, the driven gears, and the differential connections between them, of mea-ns rotatable coaxially with the driven gears; over-running clutches connecting the driven gears with Said rotatable means; and gear-connections,between said rotatable means and the driving-gear, arranged to drive Said means positively in either direction of operation at a Speed somewhat faster than thc rotation of the driving-gear.

8. In a ditt'erential gearing, he combination, with the driving-gear, the driven gears, and the differential connections between them, of a rotatable member coaxial with the driven gears and located between them; an overrimningr clutch connecting,r each driven gear with said rotatable member; gearing' for driving said rotatable member always in the Same direction ot' rotation as the driviner gear, but at a somewhat greater speed; and means for rendering said gezin ing inoperative at, will to release the rotatable member.

EL MAYNARD LONG. 

